THE BIG DEBATE BURSTS BACK - WITH REDI TLHABI

Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Further to the debate under consumers and pay-TV subscribers who "demand" to only pay for the TV channels they individually would watch under a so-called "a la carte" system, an interesting study done in 2013 has found that pay-TV subscribers in America would end up paying thousands of rands more and that at least 124 TV channels would completely shut down and disappear.

Consumers and pay-TV subscribers who don't understand how the pay-TV model work and the delicate ecosystem of content creation, distribution and cross-pollination of programming, keep demanding the somewhat utopian option of only wanting to choose the individual TV channels from a pay-TV operator they might want - instead of paying a single fee for packages of channels and grouped television content made possible through

Much more education and awareness needs to be done under ordinary consumers and pay-TV subscribers of the back-end business of how pay-TV works.

A lot of pay-TV subscribers don't understand that it functions like your gym and country club, and offers aggregated benefits to all subscribers or members: there's a pool and a bar area and a Stairmaster and dumbbells in every weight increment whether you use it or not (or only once a year) because of the collective value everyone's contribution unlocks.

And if you only use the pool and "overuse" it, that's fine too. In the end it evens out in everyone's benefit.

The results of the research applicable to the American pay-TV market cannot be generalised, but keep in mind that by far the majority of TV content, TV channels, and TV programming seen and channeled to South Africa comes from the United States.

The study therefore give a good indication of what will happen with the TV channels and content seen in South Africa should "a la carte" be enforced in America or in South Africa.

Needham & Co. which conducted the research, also looked at the impact on consumers and pay-TV subscribers economically, as opposed to from the perspective of pay-TV operators.

Needham & Co. found that if an American pay-TV subscriber switched to an "a la carte system" where a subscriber has to pay per TV channel, that the price of 180 TV channels would rise from $720 per year for the 180 TV channels as part of a bouquet, to $1 260 per year for the exact 180 TV channels if you still wanted them all and picked them one by one - 75% more expensive.

Why?

Because less pay-TV households will get or choose a specific TV channel - lets say for instance The Sunshine Channel which isn't appreciated and watched by so many but which has colourful well-produced and critical acclaimed movies on a rainy day - that channel becomes less valuable to place commercials on.

Because advertisers want a large reach and because The Sunshine Channel doesn't have a large reach, the pay-TV operator has to increase the price a single pay-TV subscriber must pay to make up for the deficit due to the drop in TV households.

The opposite is also true. While The Knitting Channel's viewers are fewer, because the channel is in a bouquet, those pay-TV viewers and subscribers currently actually contribute to the much more expensive to run and distribute Quidditch Channel.

Take The Knitting Channel away, and those who want The Quidditch Channel will have to pay outright for it - and sports rights are extremely expensive and keeps rising above inflation.

Sports TV channels will become the most expensive individual TV channels to subscribe to under an "a la carte" pay-TV order.

Sadly also - although it might be someone's favourite TV channel, or though a TV channel might carry or produce a subscriber's favourite TV show - a lot of less generally watched, niche TV channels, will simply disappear because not enough people choose it.

According to Needham & Co. at least 124 TV networks would disappear - and with that the programming it offered, because it would simply no longer be economically viable.

If its virtually impossible to get a niche channel like Syfy on MultiChoice's DStv even under the current grouped dispensation, it's a veritable fact that the bulk of niche TV channels currently offered on that operator's channel line-up would disappear and simply not be offered - although it might be your favourite TV channel.

Not in the report but also worth noting: South African viewers and pay-TV subscribers don't necessarily see TV shows and programming on the same channels which are making it and showing those programmes in America, since its sold to various different TV channels through different international content distributors.

If 124 TV channels - even 10 American TV channels disappear - with it will go a lot of TV shows originally produced for those TV channels which will simply no longer be available, and which won't be made.

If the AMC TV channel in America goes away ... goodbye The Walking Dead on FOX, Mad Men, Breaking Bad and The Killing on M-Net - all in one go. And that's just one channel.

The true impact and intricate, yet massive (and devastating) erasure of TV content becomes unimaginable when you go and sit and really think of what all is affected and how if 124 TV channels were to cease.

Don't believe Needham & Co., don't believe me.

Next time your in a hotel, ask yourself why everyone gets a little shampoo in their room, why everyone can use the swimming pool, why anyone can call for an iron, why you can have your air-con on 5 at full blast the whole time while someone else don't have it on at all. Why you can ask house keeping for 50 towels if you want, even if someone else uses none.

Then ask yourself if you'd pay less and get more value if the hotel, instead of a price for an overall value offering of amenities, made you pay individually for every little thing just you wanted or used.

Then ask yourself what kind of a hotel if would be, and if you'd even like to stay there.

Leah Thabisile Khumalo has been rubber-stamped by president Jacob Zuma as the latest politically appointed SABC board member to join the board of the beleaguered South African public broadcaster as a non-executive director.

In 2010 Leah Khumalo was appointed as the acting chairperson of the floundering parastatal broadcasting signal distributor, Sentech.

Leah Khumalo's name appears in the recently released, scathing report from South Africa's Public Protector as one of the people who got "irregular salary increments" from the SABC.

The Public Protector recommendation that "any fruitless and wasteful expenditure incurred as the result of irregular salary increments to Hlaudi Motsoeneng and Leah Khumalo and freelancers be recovered from the appropriate persons".

"We wish her all the best in this critical task of executing the country's public broadcasting mandate," says president Jacob Zuma in a statement.

Leah Khumalo replaces the hole left when Noluthando Gosa resigned from the SABC board for the third time.

Parliament's portfolio committee on communications chooses the SABC board and then sends the "recommendation" to the general assembly and then to the president.

The portfolio committee has an ANC political party majority, meaning only ANC "approved" people are steamrolled through to be on the SABC board through a majority voting block.

Leah Khumalo joins the fourth fracturous SABC board since 2009, constantly in upheaval due to undue political influence and personal infighting.

Websites from the pay-TV operator MultiChoice went down on Wednesday morning for unexplained reasons.

Internet users and DStv subscribers were unable to use websites such as DStv, SuperSport or to rent movies through DStv BoxOffice or watching DStv Catch Up on-demand content.

Later on Wednesday access and functionality of the websites were restored.

MultiChoice declined to explain why the various MultiChoice run websites like DStv BoxOffice went down on Wednesday, but said in answer to a media enquiry made that MultiChoice "apologise to our customers for the inconvenience and are taking the necessary steps to ensure this does not happen again".

MultiChoice says "there was an outage on the DStv and SuperSport websites for a brief period on Wednesday but all services have been fully restored".

On-air changes at BBC World News (DStv 400 / StarSat 400): Jon Sopel is done with Global becoming the BBC's new North America editor, and Yalda Hakim is becoming the new face of the current affairs show Impact.

Yalda Hakim (left) who joined BBC World News in January 2013 as lead reporter on the Our World current affairs strand says she loves being out in the field "and I want to bring the Impact viewers with me".

"I am delighted that Yalda has agreed to become the main presenter of Impact," says James Stephenson, the head of news for BBC Word News in a statement.

"She has made an enormous contribution to the channel since she joined last year with her investigative reporting from Bangladesh, Afghanistan and elsewhere. She will continue to combine that work in the field with her new role".

Meanwhile Jon Sopel (right) is ditching Global to move to North America and will be reporting on North American stories for both the BBC's global and international output.

"This was the only opportunity that could have pulled me away from presenting on BBC World News, of which I have nothing but fond memories," says Jon Sopel.

"I'd like to thank Jon
for playing such an important part in the relaunch of BBC World News from our
new studios, and I'm delighted that he will continue his association with us in
his new role in Washington," says Richard Porter, the controller of English for the World Service Group in the statement.

"He and Yalda have been at the forefront of the
changes which have been welcomed by viewers around the world. Yalda will be
taking on a more prominent role as the main anchor of Impact, but she will
still find time to continue her outstanding work as a film-maker and
investigative journalist".

Congratulations is in order for Vabakshnee Chetty: the journalist and SABC News reporter just got engaged.

Vabakshnee Chetty is seen on SABC News (DStv 404), anchors SABC3's primetime flagship daily news bulletin and is a well-known voice as news reader on radio on SAfm.

Vabakshnee Chetty was off for a few days during which a big engagement ring got slipped on her finger.

Vabakshnee Chetty, whose name means "come wish", returned on Tuesday evening to SABC television news again for the first time - now newly engaged.

But the usually chatty Chetty didn't say a word about it.

Neither did her co-anchor Peter Ndoro or any of the other presenters during the usual small talk moments of the hour long news bulletin (she did however quip in a quick joke that she was away for just a few days and Peter Ndoro already forgot her name after he struggled to pronounce it correctly).

SABC star reporter Chriselda Lewis was the first SABC newser to publicly congratulate Vabakshnee Chetty on her engagement, saying "the rock is gorgeous".

The then-there, then-pulled, then-back, then gone-without-a trace Dr. Phil is back again (for now) on SABC2 although it's anybody's guess whether SABC2 still has any audience left bothering, or knowing to tune in again to watch Phil McGraw dispense pop psychology in his talk show.

The SABC and SABC2's deplorable handling and scheduling disruption of Dr. Phil the past year and a half during which it actually completely lost the rights to the show and the lack of continuous - or any - communication about it to keep viewers informed has seen interest and the audience who knew and who tuned in on weekdays at 12:00 completely evaporate.

Since Monday this week Dr. Phil is back in the 12:00 timeslot on SABC2 but viewers haven't returned.

After the long, yet again absence of the American weekday talk show which is now suddenly back at a random date, nobody cares anymore.

It is as much a result of viewers no longer willing to invest in a show that might again just suddenly disappear, as well as the erosion legacy in viewer loyalty the SABC and SABC2 caused by constantly starting and stopping the show without saying what's going on.

"SABC2 is pleased to announce to our viewers that
after a lengthy absence from the TV screens, Dr. Phil returns on Monday 28
April," SABC2 said in a statement. "The show retains its longtime
slot of 12:00 from Mondays to Thursdays," the channel said.

SABC2 however didn't explain why Dr. Phil is back now, why it erratically comes and goes, and no promises that Dr. Phil won't just disappear without any notice or explanation again. SABC2 didn't give any clear reason in response to a media enquiry asking why the show is back and why it was gone "for a lengthy absence".

Dr. Phil saw another two fake starts - a fake late 2013 schedule insertion which didn't pan out, as well as again empty promises in 2014 which then also came and went.

The SABC and SABC2's problems with Dr. Phil stems from contractual problems which the SABC caused and remained the cause of, according to insiders.

Payment issues delayed new episodes and a new season, and the SABC also didn't keep records of episodes played and failed to provide detailed records to the international distributor regarding playout of episodes, making them reluctant to continue offering the show to the SABC - at least not until the SABC got its shoddy books in order.

The SABC tells TV with Thinus rumours are unfounded that the South African public broadcaster allegedly banned the 2nd "Ayisafani" political TV commercial from the Democratic Alliance (DA) party.

Unconfirmed stories suddenly started swirling on Wednesday morning that the 2nd TV advert from the political party had been banned by the SABC.

"It is not true. The SABC is playing the advert," Kaizer Kganyago, SABC spokesperson just told me over the phone. He also responded to an emailed media enquiry, also stating that "the answer is no! The ad will be played".

Earlier on Wednesday morning, the Democratic Alliance (DA) suddenly claimed that the SABC had refused to play its second "Ayisafani" TV commercial, saying in a statement that "the DA has just learnt that the SABC will not allow our second Ayisafani television advert to air in this crucial final week of the campaign".

The SABC banned the Democratic Alliance political party's first "Ayisafani" TV commercial on 8 April claiming that it "incites violence" and followed it up by banning a political advert from the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party two weeks later.

BET (StarSat 151) has renewed Real Husbands of Hollywood (also seen in South Africa on Sony Entertainment Television, DStv 127) for a third season, Being Mary Jane for a second season, The Game for a 8th season and 106 & Park.

BET is also starting a new comedy series, The Start Up, a music competition series, Gone Gospel, as well as a dating show, Got Game. The Book of Negroes is a new 6 part historical drama series with Cuba Gooding Jr., Louis Gossett Jr. and Aunjanue Ellis.

It's not yet clear which of these new shows Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) will play out on BET as a TV channel, and which shows will be sold to other TV channels seen in South Africa.

BET which already has The Wendy Williams Show is also launching a brand-new daily talk show with Keke Palmer (photo) which Telepictures will produce.

Keke Palmer who played the title role in the movie Akeelah and The Bee in 2006 is just 20, which means her talk show debut will make her the youngest ever American TV talk show host with a daily talk show. Keke Palmer's talk show will cover fashion, pop culture, social issues, sex and feature celebrity interviews.

If her talk show is a success following four weeks of daily episodes as a try-out starting on BET in July, its not yet clear if Keke Palmer's talk show would be added to BET International's schedule for the United Kingdom and Africa/South Africa, or would be sold elsewhere to channels like M-Net Series Reality (DStv 114) for instance.

Gerry Rantseli-Elsdon had quietly quit ANN7 (DStv 405) and the Infinity Media produced 24-hour TV news channel's morning show Vuka Africa she hosted, barely months after ANN7 launched her as the new face of its morning television slot.

After hiring Gerry Rantseli-Elsdon and hyping her as one of its high profile gets, with Gerry Rantseli-Elsdon trumpeting her return to South African television, and ANN7 positioning Vuka Africa as its big new morning show, Gerry Rantseli-Elsdon suddenly found herself right in the centre and the face of the inept, cringe-worthy and highly embarrassing ANN7 launch event in August 2013, fronting the shockingly amateur spectacle.

Now Gerry Rantseli-Elsdon, a former M-Net continuity presenter, quietly slipped away under the radar following her high-profile hire, with no replacement hire by ANN7 for the timeslot. Gerry Rantseli-Elsdon already dumped ANN7 in February this year, after only six months.

Vuka Africa, like other ANN7 shows and timeslots, was beset with problems and littered with live mistakes on television in the timeslot over which Gerry Rantseli-Elsdon presided.

With Gerry Rantseli-Elsdon gone, ANN7 dumped the entire morning breakfast show show idea centred around her seated on a red couch as well.

ANN7 kept the name of Vuka Africa, but changing the logo and has dumped the softer breakfast show format, reverting it to a normal newscast with an anchor reading the news from behind the news desk and some short newsmaker interviews.

"Gerry had a contract with ANN7 which ran until February 21. Gerry indicated to the management team that she will not be renewing the contract for
the morning show. Gerry has confirmed that she is open to discussing a continued relationship
with the channel".

Earlier this week for instance telenality Tomy Titus was interviewed. She will soon be going to the United States of America on a study scholarship.

During the ANN7 interview in the Vuka Africa timeslot, the TV news channel embarrassingly (since a USA ambassador was present in studio which made it worse) kept displaying and rolling unrelated footage of NSA surveillance and B-roll from archive stories from "America is spying on the world" stories.

While Romy Titus talked about how wonderful it's going to be to go to America, ANN7 kept showing incongruous American cyber spying images on the background TV monitors and screens behind the newsdesk, as well as full screen.

Nobody stopped it or changed it - obviously pulling up the first "lets show America and Washington" footage for background they could find, without checking or noticing that it is inappropriate for a "South African going to Washington on scholarship" story.

Possible new pay-TV competition is coming to South Africa with South Africa's broadcasting regulator which has granted five provisional licences for individual commercial subscription television services.

Pay for gay television, education television, local content for the lower and middle market, and club soccer matches from Southern Africa could be coming to South African pay-TV subscribers with provisional pay-TV licences granted by the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) to Close-T Broadcast Networks Holdings (CloseTV), Mindset Media Enterprises, Kagiso Media (Kagiso TV), Siyaya Free to Air and Mobile TV.

It remains to be seen whether any of the companies granted licences would be able to bring a successful pay-TV service to market in South Africa's second attempt to open up the country's pay-TV sector to more players since 2007.

Out of the previous round of pay-TV licences granted by Icasa to Telkom Media, On Digital Media (ODM), e.Sat and Walking on Water TV (WowTV), only the struggling On Digital Media (ODM) actually launched the TopTV, now StarSat, service which is in business rescue.

e.tv decided not to start a service, Telkom Media which became Super 5 Media collapsed and WowTV never got off the ground.

The five companies who got provisional licences to start subscription television services in South Africa have three months to respond to the regulator with various documents and proof that they're able to start pay-TV services before permanent licences will be granted.

The new companies all want in on South Africa's lucrative pay-TV market dominated by MultiChoice's DStv, M-Net's analogue subscription TV service, and ODM's StarSat while TV viewers and the industry are hamstrung by the government's ongoing shambolic delay to start digital terrestrial television (DTT) and the promise of more TV channels.

Close-T Broadcasting Network wants to show South African viewers pay for gay TV content in a service its calling CloseTV which includes a pay-per-view on-demand service.

Kagiso Media wants to start Kagiso TV with around 70 TV channels for a subscription fee of R240 per month and with channels heavily focused on local content driven by entertainment and news.

Siyaya TV with talk show host Dali Thambo as one of the investment backers, want to start its own local soccer league and broadcast those matches for a monhtly subscription fee of R70 with a PVR.

Mindset Media wants to broadcast educational content to public schools around the country. Mindset wants provinces to pay TV subscription fees per school. Mobile TV wants to start eight TV channels and four radio stations for mobile devices such as cellphones and tablets.

"Although the conditions imposed are specific to each of the five applicants, they generally relate to, among others, confirmation of equity ownership; funding requirements; further research; confirmation of local content; and programming content agreements," Icasa says in a statement announcing the provisional pay-TV licences.

The provisional licences are the result of a new set of hearings which the broadcasting regulator held in July 2013, following the new invitation to apply for subscription television licences in February 2012.

In February the broadcasting regulator announced that it is launching an investigation into subscription television in South Africa and the massive failure rate of licensed companies to start successful pay-TV operations in the country.

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Julius Malema, leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) political party warned the SABC's famously matricless acting chief operating officer (COO) Hlaudi Motsoeneng today that he will be "thrown out like a used condom" by South African president Jacob Zuma once he has outlived his usefulness.

The EFF marched to the South African public broadcaster's Auckland Park headquarters today with shouts of "voetsek" and handed over a memorandum of grievances to the matricless Hlaudi Motsoeneng and the SABC's acting chief executive officer (CEO) Tian Olivier.

"I must warn you that he is going to throw you out like a used condom," Julius Malema told Hlaudi Motsoeneng.

"I must warn you. I must warn you that Zuma is going to flush you like used toilet paper. You must ask me," Julius Malema told Hlaudi Motsoeneng.

"Ask [Zwelinzima] Vavi and [Fikile] Mbalula. When it was time to dump us he did not think twice".

"If you don't change your conduct, we will come here, put a truck outside and celebrate your dumping," said Julius Malema. "I was once in the same position, supporting and protecting Zuma. I was like you, I used to protect him".

In February the Public Protector Thuli Madonsela - now on the latest list of TIME magazine's 100 most influential people in the world but not yet congratulated by South Africa's ruling ANC government - released a damning report on corruption and maladministration at the SABC.

The Public Protector found that Hlaudi Motsoeneng "should never have been appointed at the SABC", and implicated him in maladministration, abuse of power, and misconduct like being directly involved in the firing of all the people who testified against him in a disciplinary hearing, as well as astronomical salary hikes for himself.

The SABC board under chairperson Ellen Zandile Tshabalala who supports Jacob Zuma, and SABC top management has done nothing since the release of the scathing report in which Hlaudi Motsoeneng in a recorded interview with the Public Protector admitted that he lied about having matric, and admitted that he "made up symbols" for a fake matric certificate he knew he couldn't produce.

The eNCA reporter Lenyaro Sello likewise also erroneously kept referring to Hlaudi Motsoeneng as "SABC CEO Hlaudi Motsoeneng" in the taped piece played several times (at 21:05 it was fixed). The eNCA story included audio and video of Julius Malema's criticism of and warning to Hlaudi Motsoeneng.

By 21:05 eNCA had fixed the autocue link as well as in the taped story, now correctly referring to Hlaudi Motsoeneng as the SABC's "acting COO".

■ The SABC (DStv 404) covered today's EFF protest march to the SABC.

The SABC's reporter Chriselda Lewis covered the story for the SABC and channels like SABC News (DStv 404). The SABC spelled their own acting CEO, Tian Olivier's name wrong in English language bulletins and on SABC News as "Tiaan Olivier" in the on-screen bottom third identifier.Chriselda Lewis' story contained nothing - no mention, and no audio or video clip - of Julius Malema's warning to and criticism of the SABC itself and Hlaudi Motsoeneng.

In the SABC's Afrikaans news bulletin "Tian Olivier" was spelled correctly. The Afrikaans news bulletin however likewise contained no mention or inclusion - neither audio nor video - of Julius Malema's warning to and criticism of Hlaudi Motsoeneng, although it was slightly more balanced and a better edited story for broadcast.

In a scintillating and simply brilliant programming and scheduling move, M-Net just added the exceptionally funny and well-produced brand-new show Last Week Tonight with John Oliver to the M-Net (DStv 101) line-up on Sundays at 22:40 starting Sunday 4 May.

Comedian John Oliver sat in for Jon Stewart on Comedy Central (DStv 122) in 2013 on The Daily Show when he was off making a movie where John Oliver got rave reviews.

His new show, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver which just started in America, likewise got rave reviews.

It is fantastic that M-Net jumped extremely quickly to secure the HBO show and hasn't been afraid to quickly rework the pay-TV broadcaster's schedule to accomodate it.

A Sunday night late night timeslot would also be the most perfect place on the M-Net schedule to place Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.

Even more spectacular is how recent the episodes will be for South African viewers on M-Net, with relevant, current jokes, topics and people on his show.

"M-Net, channel 101 on DStv, carries the very best entertainment from around the world and we added Last Week Tonight with John Oliver to its schedule as soon as the deal with HBO had been concluded, Lani Lombard, M-Net's head of publicity, tellsTV with Thinusabout the major programming acquisition coup.

"We're thrilled to bring out viewers this hot, topical show in the same week as the United States and believe that it complements our super strong Sunday night line-up on M-Net, with Carte Blanche at 19:00 and the movie at 20:00," says Lani Lombard.

RT says in a press statement that In the Now will focus on providing in-depth analysis of the biggest socio-political issues on the global agenda.

In the Now will be broadcast on RT from today, from Mondays to Thursdays at 20:00. Anissa Naouai joined RT in 2006 as a reporter.

"In the Now will cover stories you won't see on mainstream networks, or even in RT's news bulletins," says Anissa Naouai.

"I'm very excited about this opportunity to jumpstart a show and engage in open, honest discussions while highlighting key events in Russia and abroad in a fresh way, right here, live from our newsroom in Moscow," says Anissa Naouai.

The Crime & Investigation Network (CI) has launched on MultiChoice's DStv pay-TV platform in two further African countries, Mozambique and Angola, this time in Portuguese.

CI has been running for a number of years in South Africa and other African countries on DStv in English, as well as also a French language channel and is supplied by A+E Networks.

The new Portuguese language CI is operated by History in Iberia, a joint venture between A+E Networks and ChelloMulticanal.

"We're pleased to expand our relationship with MultiChoice through the launch of CI in Portuguese for the growing audiences of Angola and Mozambique," says Dean Possenniskie, the managing director, Europe for A+E Networks in a statement.

For the second time this month the American comedienne Joan Rivers is trashing the South African killer Oscar Pistorius in a joke on her weekly Fashion Police show on E! Entertainment (DStv 124).

In the latest episode of Fashion Police Joan Rivers critiques the outfit of singer and dancer Cat Graham, saying "Cat's outfit is so terrible on the scale of really bad ideas, it falls between marrying Charlie Sheen and using Oscar Pistorius' bathroom".

Oscar Pistorius shot and killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentines Day, 14 February 2013. The former paralympic athlete is currently standing trial in the North Gauteng High Court on a charge of premeditated murder.

South Africa's Giggling Gourmet, the Cape Town based celebrity chef Jenny Morris is cooking her way along the spectacular French and Italian Riviera in a second season of her TV show Jenny Morris Cooks starting today (Monday) on Food Network (DStv 175) at 12:15 and 16:25 on weekdays.

first season of her show on the Food Network - the first South African commissioned TV production for the channel - debuted to boffo ratings when Jenny Morris Cooks Morocco started.

In Jenny Morris Cooks the Riviera, Food Network viewers will see the beloved and effervescent South African chef share more of her own food preparation secrets for delicious meals during her Mediterranean adventure.

In easy to follow instructions for viewers when making mouthwatering meals, Jenny Morris journeys from the olive groves of Liguria to the crystalline waters of Monaco and St Tropez.

As she did with Jenny Morris Cooks Morocco, Jenny Morris will use and infuse signature ingredients in the dishes prepared in Jenny Morris Cooks the Riviera.

eNCA (DStv 403) is back on-air with live news programming and reporting at 11:56 after suffering a shocking system failure at its Hyde Park headquarters on Monday morning which cause a blackout of the South African 24-hour TV news channel on MultiChoice's DStv pay-TV platform.

A very good morning to you, this is NewsDay on eNCA, I'm Andrew Barnes. Good to be back on-air after some gremlins have been weeded out of the system," the veteran Cape Town based anchor told viewers at 11:56.

The TV news channel decided not to wait until 12:00 to start NewsDay but to immediately show DStv subscribers that eNCA is back up and running with live news coverage.

eNCA is the most watched in South Africa of all of the available 24-hour TV news channels, local and international channels included.

The loss on Monday morning of eNCA marks the second major broadcasting interruption of the eNews service, co-incidentally again on a Monday.

eNCA (DStv 403) which experienced a channel blackout on MultiChoice's DStv pay-TV platform on Monday morning tells TV with Thinusthat the news operation was knocked out and off air by a power surge in its Hyde Park headquarters but that the South African 24-hour TV news channel hopes to be back on air with live news programming and reporting by noon on Monday.

"It was a power surge which knocked out some of the services at eNCA in Johannesburg," Ben Said, eNCA group news editor told TV with Thinus on Monday morning.

"We've been working to get everybody in and to get Cape Town [eNCA's Cape Town bureau] to take over with news bulletins and we're now running current affairs programmes," said Ben Said.

He said he doesn't know the exact technical details as to how the power surge affected eNCA's systems but said "we hope to be back on-air by noon".

eNCA is the most watched in South Africa of all of the available 24-hour TV news channels, local and international channels included.

The loss on Monday morning of eNCA marks the second major broadcasting interruption of the eNews service, co-incidentally again on a Monday.

eNCA (DStv 403) is off the air; the 24-hour TV channel from Sabido Investment Limited went dark and experienced a blackout on Monday morning on MultiChoice's DStv pay-TV platform.

The reason of the blackout is unknown; eNCA didn't say why the news channel disappeared, and e.tv and eNCA didn't immediately respond to a media enquiry made asking about the channel. No press release was issued.

eNCA's screen is completely black and blank, with only an eNCA channel logo displayed in the bottom left corner of DStv subscribers' TV screens.

eNCA is the most watched in South Africa of all of the available 24-hour TV news channels, local and international channels included.

The loss on Monday morning of eNCA marks the second major broadcasting interruption of the eNews service, co-incidentally again on a Monday.

eNCA came back on at 10:32 on Monday for about one minute, after being off air for 20 minutes, and then went back to black - this time with no eNCA channel logo displayed.

At 10:37 eNCA went to blue screen, displaying the static "Cape Town Studio 201 NewsDay/UEFA".

At 10:38 eNCA started displaying the static message: "NOTE: APOLOGIES ALL. We're experiencing technical difficulties which we are working to solve".

At 10:42 the on-screen note apologising and telling DStv subscribers that the channel is having technical difficulties disappeared, showing just a static eNCA channel logo. The note reappeared from 10:47.

At 11:08 eNCA started with a repeat of Judge for Yourself after trying for several times to start the episode and viewers hearing the theme song playing several times unsuccessfully over another sound track with no visual.

eNCA gave no live anchor made apology when the news channel resumed, nor explained what happened and Judge for Yourself played out with no bumpers, promos or commercials - indicative of the ongoing systemic problems behind the scenes at the channel.

Sunday, April 27, 2014

Sky News (DStv 402) has an hour long TV special, William, Kate & George: Down Under, today (Sunday) at 21:00 (South African time), looking back at the young royals' visit to Australia and New Zealand.

The hour long news special is compiled of highlights from the British Royal couple's tour of Australia and New Zealand, with poignant reminders of William's own visit with Charles and Diana as a baby - as well as Prince George's first public appearances.

Saturday, April 26, 2014

A former CEO of the SABC, Dali Mpofu, is lashing out at the South African public broadcaster, saying "the SABC is a slave of the ANC".

Advocate Dali Mpofu who was the CEO of the SABC between 2005 and 2009, trashed the SABC in front of the Compliance and Complaints Committee of South Africa's broadcasting regulator during a late Friday public hearing.

Dali Mpofu said "other neutral broadcasters, not slaves to the ruling party, have aired the advert".

Dali Mpofu said "his master's voice" - a reference to the ANC stemming from the apartheid -era days when the SABC was a National Party mouth piece - is "muzzling" freedom of speech in South Africa.

"The fear expressed by the SABC [of banning political TV adverts' amounts to censorship, it is a citizen's right to choose or reject," Dali Mpofu told the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa).

The eNCA (DStv 403) 24-hour TV news channel tells TV with Thinus it is "outrageous" that the South African police harassed one of its TV reporters and forcibly removed images off of his cellphone and that eNCA find these "bullying tactics" of journalists in South Africa unacceptable.

Ben Said, group news editor of eNCA tells me that eNCA will be taking up the matter with the South African Police as well as the ANC political party.

Yesterday a member of the South African Police's VIP unit, dressed in plain clothes, forcibly removed images from the cellphone of eNCA reporter Nickolaus Bauer.

Friday, April 25, 2014

A major scheduling and technical play-out mess at M-Net left M-Net terrestrial viewers confused and fuming on Friday evening and well into the night as the South African pay-TV broadcaster experienced play-out problems and had scheduling chaos not communicated to viewers.

Even during and after the scheduling problems, M-Net failed and couldn't be bothered to communicate to subscribers.

Terrestrial viewers waiting for Game of Thrones inexplicably got shown an episode of Arrow on Friday night.

Viewers who wanted to watch MasterChef Australia - which only started for a few minutes after which M-Net suddenly ended MasterChef Australia - saw the channel suddenly cut to filler of Sound Check for over half an hour of random music videos.

During it all there was no explanation from M-Net to subscribers or the press, or on social media, as to what is going on and why the scheduling mess and programming disruption is happening.

By late Friday night there was no apology or explanation from M-Net as to what went wrong or how M-Net will be dealing with broadcasts and repeats of the messed-up Friday evening line-up.

"What the hell is going on M-Net? MasterChef just stopped as it started and now Sound Check," said Ralien van Eeden on Twitter.

"For some reason M-Net thinks its MTV and playing music videos.Your supposed to be showing MasterChef Australia," said Tejal Jessa.

"M-Net what happened to Game of Thrones tonight? Switched on at 21:30 and got The Arrow?" asked Steve Wattleworth.

"Can I expect M-Net will refund me at the end of this month? I paid for a service which you are not delivering. Shame on you fat cats of M-Net," wrote Jacques van Schalkwyk on Facebook.

"M-Net sucks!" wrote Esme Hoch. "After waiting more than one year for Game of Thrones season 4 to premier worldwide, M-net won't show the most crucial episode ever. This is not what I pay for".

M-Net viewers are also outraged over the heavy rotation of Game of Thrones promos and their anger boiled over when the episode didn't actually start.

"If you insist on advertising Game of Thrones every two minutes the least you could do is air the bloody thing when you say you will," wrote Sean Van Zijl.

"Do you people just sit around playing Candy Crush all day? Because you're clearly not working on your schedule and airing shows correctly!" wrote Corien Lombard.

"M-Net could have the courtesy to announce or advise of these programming changes," wrote Lorraine Tait Faul. " Or at least change the on-screen TV guide. It's not April Fools day today, so stop messing your viewers around".

Freedom of speech in South Africa is under threat whether citizens of the Republic of South Africa realise it or not: the South African broadcasting regulator in a late announced meeting on Friday of its Complaints and Compliance committee, banned a political party's TV commercial which the public broadcaster banned, was then forced to show, and is now banned again.

In a shocking about turn, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) on Friday evening - shortly after announcing at 15:04 that a "public hearing" would take place at 17:00 on the Friday preceding a long weekend - banned the political TV advert of the Democratic Alliance (DA).

Nothing of the so-called "public hearing" was public where Icasa suddenly bulldozed through a ban of the TV commercial as it is in its current form, reversing its decision of a week ago to unban the commercial after Icasa was threatened with legal action.

The shocking about turn from South Africa's broadcasting regulator a week later, now publicly shows that the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) has become as politically infected and its independence as severely politically compromised as the South African Broadcasting Corporation.

Icasa has now become complicit in silently, dutifully, kowtowing to the ruling political party.

The "Ayisafani" TV commercial was banned by the SABC which also banned a political TV advert of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) political party, although other broadcasters had no problem playing and showing it.

Last week the South African broadcasting regulator ordered the SABC to start broadcasting the banned DA commercial immediately. While the SABC then banned the EFF commercial, Icasa dragged its feet this entire week in holding a Complaints and Compliance hearing.

On Friday evening Icasa quietly suddenly did an about turn and banned the DA election advert at the public hearing which had no closing arguments - meaning that the EFF advert will also be - and effectively remain - banned.

By Friday night Icasa has not issued any public statement about the broadcasting regulator banning the TV commercial, explaining why.

The eNCA (DStv 403) reporter Nickolaus Bauer was harassed today by the South African Police who forcibly took his cellphone and deleted images off of the TV journalist's cellphone at an ANC election rally in Duduza that the 24-hour TV news channel was covering.

Nickolaus Bauer was harassed by a South African Police member, dressed in plain clothes, as other journalists and cameramen looked on.

Nickolaus Bauer's phone was forcibly taken and photos he took deleted by the South African policeman who apparently works for the VIP division.

The police man didn't want Nickolaus Bauer to take and have photos of a Gauteng government vehicle used to transport ANC T-shirts for the election rally - a state vehicle which means it is an abuse of state resources to do this for a specific political party.

e.tv and eNCA didn't respond to a media enquiry made before close of day on Friday seeking comment,a response or a statement from the 24-hour TV news channel on Friday's incident.

Thursday, April 24, 2014

The opener intro of the daily E! News Thursday night at 20:00 on E! Entertainment (DStv 124) was faultless as co-anchors Terrence Jenkins and Giuliana Rancic tried something new: an off-side walk-on, talk intro which they did brilliantly and flawlessly.

Television, like a symphony orchestra, has many different parts which all has to come together.

You might hear one symphony but when its perfect, it's because a lot of different sounds come together correctly at just the right time.

E! News more than pleasantly surprised Thursday night with a terrific off-set, walk on intro, immediately upping the dynamic energy and visual feel of the entire day's broadcast.

Thursday's edition of E! News literally kicked off by bringing the viewer in from the "outside" so to speak, to the inside (making the viewer feel like "the insider").

Notice the perfect backstage studio start to on-set transition. The perfect and constantly adjusting overhead camera angle and the perfect tracking and panning with the jimmy jib.

Notice the anchors placing their hands on the desk at the same time without looking at each other like faultless, synchronised swimmers in a team, the measured, yet natural looking pace of their walking and talking.

Notice the welcoming, complementing to the viewer arm movements and hand gestures which are extroverted, yet not wildly over-the-top as most South African TV presenters over do, and those perfect smiles.

A whole group of people worked together, and their work to make this piece of television was perfect - for all of 9 seconds.

But those 9 seconds are the intro.

Because such a powerful opener manages to "wow" the viewer subconsciously on a visual level, and because the viewer is visually drawn to the dynamic perfection of the scene setting opener, it's my guess that a viewer will most likely will also stay watching.

Nik Gowing is ending his daily work as a news anchor and presenter of BBC World News (DStv 400 / StarSat 400).

Nik Gowing is stepping down as BBC World News anchor and presenter in May and will continue with some ad-hoc presenting work for the BBC in the future.

He says he has chosen to "step back with a great sense of having contributed to achieving so much" over 18 years at BBC World News.

Nik Gowing joined BBC World News in 1996 and anchored programmes ranging from NewsDesk and World News Today to The Hub and Dateline London.

"Nik always recognised the potential for BBC World News to become a successful global channel and has played a key role in building its success," says James Stephenson, the head of news at BBC World News. "We hugely appreciate his distinguished contribution to the channel both on and off air".

"Nik has been a mainstay of BBC World News for most of its existence," says Peter Horrocks, the director of World Service Group. "His gravitas, his energy and his unrivalled contacts book have been essential parts of the channel's booming success".

"Like a few other colleagues back in the mid-nineties, I took the professional risk of joining a fledgling channel with great global potential and ambitions," says Nik Gowing.

"It was, though, one that the BBC took a long time to work out how to embrace both commercially and editorially. Now BBC World News is where I always visualised it would get to eventually. It is flying high as one of the ever more successful BBC global news platforms," says Nik Gowing.

A prophet named Angel is suing sports broadcaster SuperSport for predicting a soccer score.

The Zimbabwean Prophet Uebert Angel is suing SuperSport for US$1,5 million for quoting him as saying that Liverpool would win the English Premier League soccer title, according to a report in Zimbabwe's The Herald.

Prophet Angel, the leader of the Spirit Embassy Church in Zimbabwe, is suing SuperSport International (Pty) Ltd. because he says he never made a prophecy regarding the outcome of the EPL and that Liverpool Football Club would win.

Prophet Angel says that the prophecy attributed to him is false, malicious and defamatory and that if Liverpool loses, his followers would lose confidence in him.

SuperSport International argued that it cannot be defamation because the premiership was still on and that defamation can only be proven if Liverpool fails to win.

In the defendant's plea filed earlier this month, SuperSport's lawyer Eric Morris said the "defendants admit that the words quoted were published, but continue to deny that they were defamatory and point out that the event predicted has not as yet transpired so as to make it impossible to state whether or not such words are false."

In the article published on www.supersort.com at the end of December 2013 under the heading "Zimbabwean prophet predicts Liverpool to win title", Prophet Angel was quoted as saying: "Liverpool, I am with you this year and God has shown me he is returning you to your glory days."

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

eNCA's flagship nightly newscast, NewsNight, with co-anchors Jeremy Maggs and Iman Rappetti on Wednesday night was inappropriate and ill-suited when Jeremy Maggs' weird joke about "a quicky" derailed the broadcast just before a break when Iman Rappetti burst out laughing and couldn't properly speak anymore.

It's possibly the first off-key misstep ever of South African television news' premier anchoring duo.

Their usually unflappable style which cleverly sees them smooth over technical mistakes and cover for each other, their warm co-anchoring demeanour, professional real-time presence, and their subdued humour which always strikes just the right tone, went slightly off kilter on Wednesday night's NewsNight.

"Well, time now for a quicky ... a market update that is," said Jeremy Maggs.

Co-anchor Iman Rappetti's eyes went wide, followed by a gasp and then laughter which she tried to hold in - but also making her swallow her words which became almost inaudible to viewers.

NewsNight cut to a break on eNCA, leaving viewers feeling oddly, strange, uncertain as to what to make of the live on-air oops.

As a side-note, the NewsNight's business anchor Andile Gumede was simply terrible on Wednesday night - either completely unprepared, struggling with a broken autocue, or the victim of his own doing or some other form of technical difficulties.

Andile Gumede's delivery on Wednesday night, repetitive mistakes, staccato non-sensical sentences and blabbering business mumbo-jumbo made for cringe-worthy television - not the tape to take with your CV as an example of your work to your next job interview.

After abruptly severing ties with the SABC radio station 5FM, the South African radio DJ Gareth Cliff who promised a new type of show will now, ironically, be simulcasting his new internet streamed show, The Gareth Cliff Show Live, on a traditional media platform - Comedy Central (DStv 122) from 1 May.

Terms of the deal was not disclosed, but Viacom International Media Networks Africa (VIMN Africa) which runs Comedy Central Africa, will show The Gareth Cliff Show Live on weekdays between 07:35 to 08:50 from 1 May.

The studio based internet radio show will feature telephone calls and interviews which will be seen on television.

Its not clear whether The Gareth Cliff Show Live will be heard outside of South Africa's borders on Comedy Central on DStv in the rest of Africa and whether VIMN Africa will stay with the repeats of American sitcoms for other African countries.

By simulcasting The Gareth Cliff Show Live on television on DStv, Gareth Cliff, Comedy Central and VIMN Africa, and MultiChoice will have to adhere to the regulations of the Broadcasting Complaints Commission of South Africa (BCCSA) not applicable of the internet radio venture remained strictly on cliffcentral.com.

Gareth Cliff's solo TV try-out, the late night The Gareth Cliff Show on M-Net in 2009 lasted only one season, but he has remained a judge on the South African pay-TV broadcaster's reality singing competition show, Idols.

Although the timeslot for such a simulcast on television is odd and unusual - television viewership on weekday mornings fall since people don't remain stationary - the addition of The Gareth Cliff Show Live does replace one of the multiple Comedy Central repeat slot with new content to help increase the channel's minutes of daily first-run programming.

In a statement Gareth Cliff admits to the traditional media of the new venture. "The partnership with Comedy Central not only gives our audience a traditional platform to join us as they're getting ready to start the day, but is an opportunity to uncover fresh local content".

"This is Comedy Central's first daily live show in the African market and we are thrilled to be partnering with a host of Gareth Cliff's calibre, polish and experience to bring this new comedy concept to these shores," says Evert van der Veer, Comedy Central Africa channel head about the dualistic internet radio and TV talk show.

"The addition of a localised editorial voice to put things in perspective for South African viewers adds a broad new dimension to our comedy portfolio".

Strangely, MultiChoice is weighing in on the Comedy Central programming venture.

In the Comedy Central statement, Aletta Alberts, MultiChoice's head of content, said MultiChoice - and using past perfect tense - "had great expectations of the show".

"We have always supported new ideas and this exciting and fresh addition to the Comedy Central line-up will make the channel ever stronger, reinforced by this local flavour. Gareth gives our viewers a voice to interact with this strong global brand".

About Me

is an independent TV critic, writer and journalist in South Africa as well as a pop culture and media expert.
He writes breaking news about TV for daily and weekly leading publications in the country and authors trend and analysis pieces about the TV business.In addition he writes regular weekly and monthly TV columns. He has and continues to write extensively about TV - chronicling what's on it and happening behind the scenes.